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What the???

I found myself at the Evil Orange today in an attempt to price some materials. Easy task, right? Well, no, it's Evil Orange, nothing is easy OR quick there.

So anyway, I need myself some good old CDX plywood. I walk in the door, right to the plywood bay and what do I find but "RTD Sheathing-syp". CDX is not to be found. So I look at the stamp on the plywood to try and clear things up ... um, yeah, that helped ...

First question is what is "RTD Sheathing-syp" (description on the shelf tag)? Second question is what is "PRP-108 HUD-UN-40" (part of the stamp mark on the plywood)?

I've yet to start my Google odyssey in search of these answers, just thought I'd post them to the TOH guru's first and maybe vent a little at the futility of shopping at Evil Orange.

Re: What the???

asc2078 - That's pretty much my experience EVERY time I have the unfortunate need to go there. That place costs me money, not save it! I spend more time hunting for things than actually "shopping" for the items I need. And don't even get me started with the check-out system! I SO miss my Lumberjack/Payless/Cashways supplier! It was my home away from home. It was a real lumber yard, where you could drive your truck up to the stack and put in whatever you wanted - not schlep it through a fricken maze of other shoppers, blocked aisles, and where the only register is 40 feet down the wall from the door, which is too narrow to turn the lumber cart (with the bad wheel, of course )to get out of the store. When one of the yard guys saw you loading, they came of their own volition to help, you could always find help if you needed it, and everyone in the store knew where everything in the store was or at least a close proximity. Evil Orange has ruined the material supply industry!

On a positive note, I did have the joy of stopping at a couple bonefide lumber suppliers and what a wonderful experience it is to deal with professionals who are able to comprehend your question and get you the answers you need!

[/rant]

Originally Posted by ****hiller

RTD = Ready To Delaminate

(syp = southern yellow pine, of course)

I suspect that RTD = Rated, judging from the stamp mark of APA Engineered Panel Association. You're probably right on the SYP, but who the heck can decipher an Evil Orange shelf tag (if you can find one )? Say, are you trying to get me started on another rant ...

Re: What the???

****ie was spot on with the "SYP" designation. I was talking to one of the new suppliers this morning about it and he called his wholesaler. Wholesaler said that it's a result of Katrina when there was a nationwide plywood shortage, Evil Orange found this stuff, and is now sending it to it's distributors by the train load to get rid of it. FWIW, it's running about $2.25 a sheet less than CDX. No information was available as to whether or not this product was equal to a CDX panel rating or was an acceptable substitute in the eyes of building code.

Re: What the???

Not sure if you might have made a typo or a scribble error, if it was an M as in PRP-108 (voluntary) HUD-UM-40.

Yes, that was an unfortunate typo the "N" should have indeed been the "M" that you suspected. HUD-UM-40 is the correct stamp mark. Sorry about that.

Originally Posted by YukYuk

I'm of the opinion that the only way to defeat these big box dumping grounds is to boycott them completely.

Exactly, for the very reasons you stated. IMHO, "selection" isn't 10 boxes of the very same item on a shelf, it would be 10 different items. It would be helpful if the item had a shelf tag to begin with, and more importantly if that shelf tag had any identifying marks to correlate it to the item on the shelf. This is not exaggeration, while I was there yesterday, I needed pricing on about 12 items. Of those 12 items, at least half of them did not have shelf tags. I wanted a price on paint - the absolute cheapest can of garbage they carried (for the purposes required this is more than sufficient and in other circumstances I wouldn't dream of even looking for paint at Evil Orange ). I found the paint aisle, no problem, I even found the $8 a gallon garbage I was looking for. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to know if they carried the same garbage by the 5 gallon bucket. Their master paint mixer guru couldn't even find the product on the shelf, let alone the computer to verify that they were no longer going to carry the larger quantity, but continue the smaller one.

As a general rule, I avoid/boycott big box stores. Like I said, curiosity got the better of me as to whether or not they'd beat material pricing that I'm already paying from better bonefide resources. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to the outcome? Sure, I could save about $2.25 a sheet on the plywood, though who knows if it's of the desired quality or how long it will be available considering it's "leftovers" that they're trying to unload. When you add on the $65 delivery fee REGARDLESS of how much you spend, that $2.25 savings just flew out the window, along with the added time spent dealing with inept sales people and an inefficient check-out process.

Here is the final tally of my efforts yesterday. Evil Orange 0, new supplier 90, current supplier 10.

Evil Orange is just too big of a hassle to even think about dealing with.
New supplier can get me 90% of what I need and deliver it to my door at no extra charge.
Old supplier can maintain the 10% of the tidbits that the new supplier can't handle, requiring one trip per month to handle my needs.

Bottom line, the company with the best product and service is winning. As a relationship is developed with the new supplier I intend to hit him up for all my trinket needs. I'm willing to pay more for products when the service backs them up AND the establishment appreciates my business. I make it quite clear to my suppliers how much they make my life easier, how much I appreciate that, and how much time it saves me to "one stop shop" with them. It all adds up to a mutually beneficial relationship, and the best part is, everyone is enjoying the personal interaction and business at the same time.

Re: What the???

Yes, the box stores have truly ruined what used to be an industry of excellence. That is not to say that some more "professional" level suppliers have been a complete joy to deal with, just that finding a one stop shop that is actually a one stop shop, a place that is a joy to shop at, and caters to both the professional and the homeowner is a much harder commodity these days.

Thank you Sam Walton, Home Depot, and Lowe's for lowering the bar of excellence and expectations.

Re: What the???

Be sure to visit our free lobotomy center located next to the customer dis-service counter. Satisfaction guaranteed. Just ask our employees.

Seriously though.......I gotta admit that the borg is the last place I'd care to work. ( I think I'd sooner operate a septic suckin' service ) Everyday would be an endless stream of questions from patrons who have no clue about what they're doing (except maybe what they saw in a 5 minute segment on a TV show) and expect/wish you to impart all the knowledge & skills they need .......into their noggins .....magically. (Where is Spock when you need him?) I think I'd go hide in the bathroom stall, too.

All the carting of materials thru the store is totally freakin' absurd..........and highly aggravating. It drives contractors away. Does me anyway.

And the last thing I wanna do is walk a 1/4 mile thru the parking lot to enter a 40 acre store where I can then spend hours wearing out shoe leather to locate what I need.........if they even have it. No thanks. I'd sooner spend my life doing something productive. Big box is basically only for emergency situations when the other suppliers are closed.

Oh.....and make sure to secure your truck well before ya start out on that epic shopping journey or you'll stand a fair chance of finding your tools lifted by meth-heads when you return........if said big-box is located in a medium to large metro area. (and that's where 95 % of them are)

Re: What the???

asc,

Menard's is what we've had here for the last 20 years or so. "Small-ish" sized store as borgs go. It's been "okay"......generally speaking....but still the same old cart yer stuff. Argh. At least some of the employees know one end of a hammer from the other. Some don't.

Example......which I think I related here before. Went in one day to see if perchance they had a motor pulley. Not holding my breath, but it was a Sunday and everyone else was closed. Didn't see any. 25 YO guy employee wanders up and asks if I'm finding what I need. "No, not really. I need a motor pulley." "Right over here", says he. He points to the come-along selection. !!!! Says to "just tie it off to a tree limb and hoist away on that car motor." When I explained that is not what I need and proceeded with hints like "V-belt" , 5/8" motor shaft, etc.......plus gestures indicating size .........his eyes glazed over. Had NO idea what I was talking about. (God help us all. <G>)

To get to a Lowe's or HD, I gotta drive 40 miles....one way. Get to those once a year anymore, tops. The thrill is gone, if ya know what I mean. $3.25 gas to go look at what I can already buy here....for less or 1% more. Yeah, that's profitable.

However, last summer Wally World and Menard's broke ground here for larger stores. Well over 40 acres between the two of 'em. The new WW is a super-center. Ugh. It's a city unto itself. It opened the doors about 6 weeks ago and I haven't been in yet. But the 8 acre parking lot was absolutely jam-packed with cars for a month. Truely relentless stream of traffic. I think folks used the grand opening as a mid-winter form of entertainment. I took roads around that area whenever possible to avoid all the traffic.

The new "Big Menard's" is right next to the WW. Conjoined parking lots. It's supposed to open next month, IIRC. Oh, joy.

Re: What the???

Originally Posted by asc2078

Finally, on my last trip back to my vehicle, we discovered that they had once again, credited me back more than they owed me. After wasting over an hour with this nonsense, I decided the heck with it. They owe me more than this for all of my time they have wasted. I simply gave up and drove away.

As long as the overage is in your favor - it isn't worth the hassle to argue, and as you said, it's the LEAST that they owe you for wasting your time.

I never take an opened package from the shelf for the very reason you mentioned. Besides the likelihood of being defective, are all the parts, pieces, trinkets, and baubles still in there, or did the guy who returned it leave those back at the job where he opened it? Then you've got the folks who don't put stuff back where it belongs, so instead of grabbing the 99 cent cover plate, you got the one from the box next to it that is identical in every way EXCEPT that it's $2.35! And remember back when I mentioned that you'd be lucky to find a shelf tag with the price of the item even if you could correlate the item markings with the tag markings? Your adventure in returnland reminded me of their hideous indecipherable register receipts.

Re: What the???

On the other side...
I worked at HD and Lowes part time a few years ago. I'm a retired cop and figured what the heck, get out, make some extra moola. I worked at HD first, in the Electrical Dept. for $10 an hour. I lasted 3 months. I know very little about electricity except that it makes things bright and it can hurt you. I will say that that particular HD treated its employees like crap. I have never seen such a downtrodden, depressed group of people in my life. I feel very bad for them, some of whom were nice people.
Then I went to Lowes, working in the Plumbing Dept. I know less about water than I do about electricity. But, Lowes did treat the employees better. I only lasted two months - I caught a thief (an employee) ripping them off for $670, and I turned him in. Well, they told him that I turned him in and he started busting my chops, so I quit (I didn't want to end up in jail). He is still there. Again, some good people work at these places, but they are not good places to work. I swore I'd never shop at either again, but I will admit I've been back to each. Both of these places do have some knowledgeable, helpful people in certain areas, but you have to know where to look for them, and what their work schedule is.